Nothin’ But Net: A Modern Basketball Quilt Pattern
- Jessica Steele
- 10 minutes ago
- 4 min read
I'm so excited to introduce the latest quilt pattern at Jessica Steele Design.
The Nothin’ But Net quilt pattern is a bold, graphic design that’s fun to make and easy to customize. With large blocks and a clean layout, it’s a great project for showing off color choices—especially team colors—while building skills like curved piecing and strip piecing.
Whether you’re a confident beginner ready to try something new or an experienced quilter looking for a fresh, modern pattern, this quilt comes together with clear instructions and plenty of room to make it your own.
Pattern Inspiration
The Nothin’ But Net quilt pattern was inspired by the game of basketball and the movement and energy that comes with it.
The design features oversized basketball blocks shown from two different viewpoints along with strip-pieced sashing that gives a subtle “nothing but net” feel of the ball going into the hoop from a top-down view.
Pattern Details
Difficulty Level and Techniques Used
The pattern is rated at an intermediate level with large blocks (18” finished) and utilizes the following techniques:
Curved piecing using templates
Strip piecing
Although the pattern is an intermediate difficulty level, a confident beginner could make this quilt with the guidance provided in the pattern.
If you’re newer to curves, a video is included to guide you through the curved piecing process for this pattern.
Additionally, information and resources are provided for strip piecing best practices.
Finished Sizes and Layouts
There are three finished sizes included in the pattern instructions:
Baby (48” x 48”)
Throw (70” x 70”)
Twin (70” x 92”)
With only one colorway option utilizing 4 different fabrics, the layouts of each of the sizes are similar but not exact, so be sure to pay attention to the orientation of the sashing in the assembly diagram specific to the size you’re making.
Shown left to right are mockups of the Baby, Throw and Twin size layouts.
Color Guidance
Since there are only 4 colors in this pattern the pattern lends itself easily to using your team colors.
With that said, be sure to pay attention to the contrast of your fabric choices within the pattern. For the basketballs specifically, you will want to pick two fabrics that have a significant contrast and are not too close together in hue or value.
Examples of fabrics that contrast in hue (or in basic color family) are using red and yellow, blue and yellow or orange and blue as shown below.
Orange and white (as used on the official WNBA basketball) give the basketballs great contrast too.
Examples of fabric colors that contrast in value would be a really dark orange and a lighter orange for the basketballs.
A good trick to see if your colors have good contrast in value is to take a photo with your phone and use the grayscale or a black & white filter to see if one looks light and one dark. If they look the same using the filter, they don’t have enough contrast.
Fabric Ideas and Mockups with Solids
If you want to play around with color ideas, this pattern is available to mockup for free on QuiltInk. QuiltInk has many solid fabric collections available to play with and also some printed fabric collections to choose from. Check it out by clicking the link below.
You can also download a free coloring sheet here to mockup the quilt on paper.
For this pattern and most sports-inspired patterns, you can never go wrong using solid fabrics. Some different ways you can use solids are:
Using oranges and/or orange and white for the basketballs and using the background and striped sashing around the basketballs to incorporate your team colors. You can also use neutral colors for the background and striped sashing if you want to keep the quilt more basketball specific vs. team specific.
If your team has more than two colors, you can incorporate up to 4 team colors within the pattern.
Be sure that the background color contrasts with both the stripe and basketball colors and that the colors used in the basketballs have contrast between each other so you don’t lose the definition of the design.
Printed Fabric Ideas and Mockups
Don’t be scared to use prints in your quilt! I’m a big believer in thinking outside the box when it comes to sports-inspired quilts and prints can be a great way to add more fun and personality to your quilt instead of always using solids.
Tips for using prints:
Smaller scale prints generally are best for this quilt. Bigger prints can be distracting especially when used in the background.
Blender prints are a great way to add dimension and texture without too much distraction
Non-directional prints are best for this pattern to maximize cutting efficiency
Want to use your team colors but not sure where to start to find a print to match? Grab the solid color for your team and carry it with you while color matching your prints. You’ll want the majority of the color in that fabric to be the same color as your solid fabric to make sure that color comes across strongly in the pattern.
Mockups shown above from left to right using prints from the following collections: Andover Fabrics - Celestial Garden by Alexandra Bordallo (left and middle) and Ruby Star Society - Speckled by Rashida Coleman-Hale (right).
Examples of some of my favorite prints and blenders that lend themselves well to using in sports quilts:
Ruby Star Society - Starry
Ruby Star Society - Speckled
Windham Fabrics - Ruby & Bee Blenders
Andover Fabrics - Crisscross
Benartex - New Hue
Andover Fabrics - Dimples
Art Gallery - Elements
Mockups shown above are all using Ruby Star Society's Starry Collection.
Whether you stick with classic solids, lean into bold team colors, or have fun mixing in prints, the Nothin’ But Net quilt pattern gives you plenty of flexibility to make it your own.
With clear guidance, helpful resources, and multiple size options, it’s a pattern that works just as well for trying something new as it does for creating a meaningful quilt for a basketball fan.
My last and most important tip? Just have fun with it. Play around with color, trust the process, and make a quilt that feels like you (or your favorite basketball fan).
If you make a Nothin’ But Net quilt, I’d love to see it! Be sure to share and tag me @jessicasteeledesign on Instagram or Facebook.